Preston Pruitt put aside his dreams of becoming a gourmet chef at a high-end restaurant to raise his daughter while her mother was on active duty in Afghanistan. Now Abby is a precocious eight-year-old in love with fairies and princesses, and Preston works at an unimaginative and monotonous job as a short order cook.<br><br>Abby has her quirks, and when she tries to wear a pair of costume wings for her school pictures, her father is called to help talk her out of them. That's when Preston meets Cam Richards, a handsome photographer with his own studio in town. Between Cam's quick smile and flirty manner, Preston is smitten and surprises himself by asking the guy out. Late night phone calls lead to dinner dates, and soon Preston is falling for Cam. It helps that Abby approves of her father's new special friend.<br><br>With Cam’s encouragement, Preston gets the chance to interview for an executive chef position. Now that he has all the ingredients, will he finally fulfill his dream of becoming a top chef and find the perfect recipe for romance?

Recipe for Romance

“Wow, these are amazing,” Preston murmured, impressed. He leaned over Cam’s shoulder to get a closer look, and couldn’t resist easing his arms around the photographer’s neck for a quick hug. “You’re awesome, do you know that?”


Abby was so excited by the finished photos, she bounced in her seat. Tugging on Preston’s sleeve, she pointed at the computer screen. “Look at me flying, Daddy! I’m a real fairy! I love these so much!”


Giving her a quick kiss on the top of her head, Preston asked, “Did you have a lot of fun today?”


From Cam’s other side, Jocelyn mimicked her. “Yes! Me, too!”


“With you!” Abby stood up in the chair so she could see over Cam and waved at her new friend. “We have to do this again. Can we, Daddy? Can we take more pictures?”


Preston wrapped an arm around her waist so she wouldn’t fall, keeping the other around Cam’s shoulders. “We’ll see,” he told her.


Abby’s smile disappeared. “Which means no.”


Chapter 37